Growth vs Sustainability

A friend of mine, +Sitaresti Astarini, put my favourite topic on the table. Thanks to her, I find my excitement back to share my little thought of something.

Is growth and sustainability can "get along together"?

source: graduateinstitute.ch

As a starter, I am going to provide a flash history about  growth and sustainability.

Many parties, includes government and also business,are considerably pessimistic to achieve a sustainable growth. Because they believe  to accelerate growth, anything should be done, environmental damage or social damage or even community damage is not taken into account as long as the growth increase.

I believe this attitude has its root from the mighty-modernization theory that been absorbed by most of countries, business, and even United Nations. Development is a development if a country or a community achieve a certain standar of economic growth. In sum, it is all about money.

  Afterwards, the past few decades, there is a theory called participatory or empowerment theory that demanded a shift of development paradigm. It says that development is not only about money. It is beyond that. there is cultural, environment, social circumstances that need to be taken into account. And it also underlines  growth is nothing if it is not for people, from people, by people, and sustained.

 I believe it is where the idea of growth and sustainability come from.

In reality, most people even governments or businesses or United Nations hundred percent sure that growth and sustainability can be both achieved. They are still trying the right way how to deal with it. no fixed regulation have been decided for decades. No countries sincerely wants to sacrifice their growth for the sake of world sustainability.

 For some people,   growth in developed nations is associated with green-growth. Thus, their homework is to reduce energy consumption(non-renewable). why energy consumption? To make more money, business still uses abundant of resources (mostly non-renewable). Reducing energy consumption also relates to consumer behavior. (by the way, I  created  concept of Igreen application to reduce energy consumption among amsterdam residences  when I was in Holland but the company said it is still difficult to be applied regarding the social circumstance and money problem as well).

Back to the topic, for developing and poor nations, our homework is to shift our mindset about growth. Growth is defined as broad-based  and inclusive. The first means combating poverty and minimizing economy gap. it means that it is not only one party that experience acceleration of growth. The later means that unless you includes all layers of society( gender, social, urban, rural, and so forth), growth is not a growth.

So growth and sustainability can "get along together"? yes, if growth is redefined. Growth should value people and environment.

For references:

Mefalopulos, P. (2008) Development Communication Sourcebook: Broadening the Boundaries of Communication. Washington DC:  World Bank.

Mefalopulos, P. (2003) Theory and Practice of Participatory Communication: The Case of the FAO Project Communication for Development in Southern Africa. Texas: University of Texas.

UNDPa (2012) Why Tackling Climate Change Matters for Development [Internet], New York, UNDP. Available from: <http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/speeches/2012/11/08/helen-clark-why-tackling-climate-change-matters-for-development-/#.UJw8hcQvSdA.twitter> [Accesssed 25th October 2012].  

Zselamart, G. (2013) Participatory Communication Application: Case Study of BIOCHAR project in the Bulukuku Community. Master Thesis, Leeds Metropolitan University

Slide Presentation of Infosys about growth vs sustainability.

 

    La Boutique/The Shop by Olga Quedraogo (Scenario from Africa)

  It is one of short movie from the Scenario from Africa. I got this video when I was doing my development communication in Netherlands. My assignment was about to learn more about one of development projects that has been done for dealing with AIDS/HIV in Sub Saharan African countries. So here is one of very interesting video to be watched for one who wants to get an insight about issues related to AIDS/HIV in those countries. In additional, this video is quite funny at least for me and my entire class. 

Wanna have more details about this project? just go to this website: http://www.globaldialogues.org/homeEng.htm

Tea Time for Women

              A cup  of tea will always be there for women. 

             It could makes the zero turn into hundreds 

               a smile into thousands laughter

             one day into eternal friendship

          for now and tomorrow

                                   -G.Z-

EXTRAODIRNARY TOURIST

Actually it was written on March when I was doing Brussels European Forum. But it took sometime to find it because I couldn't recall where it was placed in my documents. Anyway, for those who interested in NATO and European Commission and maybe Belgium, it might suit your appetite. Enjoy it! =). Today was my third day doing simulation G20 in Leuven, Belgium. Even though the week has not finished, I believe today would be one of my favourite days during this week. I had a chance to not only being a delegation  who was being drawn with a lot of complicated agenda to be discussed,  I got a chance to explore the other fun and smart side of the well-known Brussels, Belgium. I was so grateful because this journey made me feel I was one of the extraordinary tourist. Photographer: Alyssa Hopp The first extraordinary site to visit is NATO. Before I came,  I had an expectation that me and other participants will just observe the NATO’s activities. I was satisfied with that idea. But actually, today visiting was beyond my expectation. I was grateful to be given an insight about NATO by three its experts. Furthermore, they shared about the crucial challenging issues for NATO which more less helping us to understand a worldwide complicated problem in terms of security from International perspective.  During the presentation, couple of delegations were very keen on the topic about how far NATO would deal with the unsolved piracy problem in Somalia. They were not satisfied with NATO position which steps back from this problem. NATO argued that if NATO involves and mobilises its armies to Somalia, it would just ruin the balance of life in Somalia. NATO sees that piracy is too complicated to be solved. Moreover, NATO argued that its focus is on Afghanistan and others middle east countries. From my perspective, the discussion between delegations and NATO towards Somalia was quite interesting.  Photographer: Alyssa Hopp European Commission was my next destination. Again, it was beyond my expectation which is a good thing. The expert gave us a substantial knowledge which assists us to understand about European Union’s priority agenda. Again, there were some delegations that was questioning the existence of European Commission and its progress to create better living for country members. Since they were EU citizens, they did not believe European Commission was doing its homework very well. Surely, European Commission presented the sophisticated slides to state that argument was completely wrong because it has done enough and would do better for its citizens. Since I am not the EU resident and not having sufficient information to join the discussion, all I did was just observing. From the communication area, I assume there was lack of understanding from citizens towards European Commission performance.  It may sound cliche but communication is one of the key to win people's trust Photographer: Hasina Juma

The Art of Negotiation (Brussels European Forum)

I joined the 11the Brusells European Forum couple weeks ago. It was an event where any European students are able to bring their desire of politic into reality. Since I am not into politic, I had never thought about joining in any political simulation or even discussion.  I was registered by my university as part of my module. So I ended up struggling to understand  lots of new thing; climate change international issue, negotiation strategy, South Korea policy, and also speech. Fortunately, I was not alone because the rest of my classmates did not have any idea about it. So we shared our nightmare together. But my perception towards this thing was completely changed. I found myself very grateful to be registered as one of the G20 delegation in 11th Brussels European Forum. We had a chance to experience how to act as country leaders or nation’s decision makers in International forum such as G20, Council of the European Union, and North Atlantic Council (NATO). The event was carried out for 7 days in Leuven, Belgium. Each of the committee has different but related agenda to be discussed. This year’s theme was navigating troubled water. It means how these forums come up with a set of new policy approaches in a worldwide time of transition. Therefore participants represented and fight for their countries’s interest and at one time come up with international deal for better world. For instance, G20 had three agendas to be discussed in a week; tackling climate change, framework for the international system, and rebuilding the global economy. The G20 committee had the dual role of ensuring that the vulnerable global economy continues along the path of recovery from the Financial Crisis, as well as addressing the wider responsibilities of the twenty richest states. I was representing President Lee Myung-Bak from South Korea in G20 committee. South Korea was becoming one of the presidents in G20 forum in 2010. South Korea was the first non G8 countries that were allowed to chair this major economy countries forum. It was perceived as one of the achievement for South Korea and other emerging nations in Asia. Therefore, I was preparing myself to keep this nation’s pride and find any possible way to achieve nation’s objective. Besides that, we were asked to behave as the role that we took during the event. So I used every second to build coalition and do informal lobbying. In order to come up with a good deal, I had to get through a very tough negotiation both in formal and informal meeting. In formal meeting I got a chance to give my general statement and my position toward those issues. Most of delegations were trying to move to informal meeting as much as they can because it was the place to undergo real negotiation amongst the delegations. From what have done in informal meeting, I learned to understand others interest even it was very contrast with my objective. It needs to be done because we would never reach a consensus if there was one delegation stand against the proposal in the table. By knowing others interest, we could do any way to approach them in order to persuade them to favour the given proposal.  After all, I enjoyed the 7 days of doing international negotiation especially when we were discussing about tackling climate change days.  But in the future I will not sit on the chair as a negotiator if I have to make a deal about global financial and IMF.  For me, National's financial and economy are already too complicated =)  So I come up with my theory that the key success of reaching a deal is not only about the knowledge or expertise. It also needs an appropriate manner in approaching the allies and persuading the opponents. Like communication, it will always be about compromising our interest and their interest to achieve one balance outcome which is super difficult. G20  Committee the 11th Brussels European Forum